RENTON, Wash. (A.P.) – Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider spent Wednesday discussing their relationship with their starting quarterback after months of silence on the subject.
From the Seahawks’ leadership standpoint, everything is fine with Russell Wilson despite speculation earlier in the offseason about his future in Seattle.
“When all of the conversations went about trades and all that, I knew the truth, and we weren’t trading Russell,” Carroll said. “So we plan on him being here for a good while. I don’t know how many years it is now, but we’re in great shape, and a long future ahead of us is shared.”
Seattle’s newsy offseason had gone on without any comment from Carroll or Schneider until the eve of the draft, where the Seahawks are expected to be abnormally quiet. The Seahawks’ three draft picks are the fewest in franchise history.
Wilson’s situation became a topic of conversation after making comments following the Super Bowl that raised questions about whether the Seahawks were doing enough to put a winning product around him. He specifically mentioned his offensive line and being tired of constantly getting hit.
The conjecture peaked when Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers, commented to ESPN that Wilson had not requested a trade but listed the four teams for which he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause.
“There were several teams that called after that media blitz that happened. But no, I never actively negotiated with anybody and any team,” Schneider said. “Now, did people call? Absolutely. But, yeah, I won’t get into specific teams.”
Carroll said he was disappointed by the comment from Rodgers because it rekindled the story.
“I had made a clear statement to Russ, ‘Let’s just shut down and be quiet on this stuff; we don’t need to say anything; we know the truth of what’s going on,’” Carroll said. “When that came out, that kind of got over the top, and it opened up some other conversations that didn’t need to happen.”
Through all the speculation, Seattle’s front office remained quiet. It would have been difficult – although not unfathomable – to trade Wilson this offseason due to his $32 million cap hit, but the silence led to increased attention on the situation.
Carroll said he remained in contact with Wilson throughout the saga and feels comfortable with where the sides stand now.
“Right from the beginning, I was talking to Russ. We spent hours on the phone over this offseason talking, and we worked at stuff and understood the topics and the subjects,” Carroll said. “So there wasn’t a problem. There’s nothing to put the pin in, to me.”
Other topics touched on by the coach and G.M.:
– Carroll and Schneider declined to elaborate on the recent arrest of defensive end Aldon Smith in Louisiana. Smith was arrested on a second-degree battery charge on April 17, just two days after signing a one-year deal with Seattle. Smith is scheduled to be arraigned in July.
“Regarding his current situation, it’s not something we can talk about. We must let the legal process take its course,” Schneider said.
– Schneider declined to give any significant update about negotiations on a long-term contract for safety Jamal Adams, who could become a free agent after next season. “We want him to be here long term for sure,” Schneider said. “He’s a great player. Glad we made the trade to get him.”
– Carroll said he recently met with free-agent linebacker K.J. Wright, who spent his 10-year career with the Seahawks. Wright will be 32 before the start of the regular season but has started every game the past two years.
“K.J. has been one of the classiest players you could ever expect to have in your program and has been a fantastic player,” Carroll said. “So the door’s not closed as to what we’re doing moving forward. We were clear about that and felt good about where we are with K.J.”
– Schneider signed a contract extension in January to keep him with the Seahawks through the 2027 draft. Carroll’s current deal runs through the 2025 season.
“I know that working with John makes me better. He’s a great administrator, a great partner. We partner on everything down to every detail, and we’re fortunate to have John,” Carroll said.
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